Dear Tom

Submitted by Debanjan Banerjee (Australia), Dec 15, 2013 at 09:53

Which is why the most senior Ayatollah Khomeni led the revolt against the Shah.

Who told you that Ayatollah Khomeini was the most senior cleric to led the revolt against the Shah ? Remember when Shah had fled the country due to nationalization of the Iranian oil by Mossadegh , it was the clergy specially and the Ayatollah Khomeini who backed the Shah.

Ayatollah Khomeini was not the only one who led the revolution against the Shah. All sorts of people including communists , secular nationalists , Persians , Baluchis , Jews were all against the Shah at the time. Even the anti-Iranian terrorist group MEK was also against the Shah at the time.

Amongst the Shite clergy of the time(and prefer till date) most preferred to stay away from political power. The idea of "Velayat-e-fiqh" by Imam Khomeini was an unique one even by the Shia standards.

I just watched a 22 minute video in which an former Iranian woman spoke about the changes that occurred when the Shah was exiled.

Your phrase "former Iranian woman" is ambigous. what do you mean to say ? Is the person was previously an Iranian and now not one ? Or was this person was an woman who has now changed her sex ? Express clearly (although that may be too much to ask from some one like you)

The evidence towards women rights in Iran post-Shah contradicts your statement.

Here is why.

1. Iran has produced more female graduates than male graduates than they did at the time of the Shah. Do you think had the Islamic republic been oppressing Woman's rights , it would have been possible ?

2. Iranian birthrate has fallen below replacement levels (much below than Shah's time) Do you think had it been possible if Iranian women remained illiterate as they were at the time of Shah ?

3. Very recently Iran had a woman being elected at the head of a city council.here is the URL http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/sunni-woman-first-iran-mayor.html

Now let us compare the record of the Islamic republic with that of the American republic after 34 years.

American republic at it's 34 year age had slavery , genocide of the native Americans and no women were allowed to vote let along become graduates from the universities. The Islamic republic have had none of these. So which one is better ?

To conclude it is true Iran offers some less rights to women than they West does offer to her own women. A women in Iran can not abort her child at her will , she can not marry or have sex with another woman and she can not sell her virginity at her will for money. Apart from that a woman in Iran is offered all the rights she gets in the West.

You claim the revolution was about economic issues, well today's paper has the Iranian leadership begging for help with updating Iranian oil fields.

All the revolutions have one or another economic issues. I believe asking for foreign investment is a part of Capitalist economy. So why do you blame Iran for this ?

Also do the US not beg China and the Gulf nations to purchase her arms ? So why did the American revolution did not solve all the economic problems of the colonies even after more than two centuries ?

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